1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a sealing unit for movable windows; and, more particularly, to a flexible sealing unit with decorative trim mountable to a frame of a vehicle as a prefabricated unit for providing a seal between the frame and a movable window of the vehicle. In addition, the present invention relates to an improved method for sealing a movable vehicle window.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the design of modern vehicles such as automobiles, it is desirable for the movable windows of the vehicle to be flush or substantially flush with the outer surface of the vehicle body in order to provide a more attractive, streamlined appearance and to reduce drag on the vehicle when is being driven.
In such vehicle designs, however, it is often difficult to provide an effective seal for the movable window. In particular, such a seal must properly follow the contours of the vehicle frame and of the window so as to provide an effective seal therebetween; and, in addition, it must reliably retain the window so as to prevent the window from moving away from the vehicle body when the window is closed, thus causing air gaps, even when the vehicle is moving at a high rate of speed.
Known glassrun seals for flush-mounted movable vehicle windows are often formed of a plurality of components which are separately mounted to a frame portion of the vehicle to provide a complete sealing assembly. For example, known seals often include first and second generally U-shaped members which form outer and inner guides, respectively, for a movable vehicle window. To mount such a seal to a vehicle, the first U-shaped member is initially positioned relative to the frame and then affixed to the frame with an adhesive. The second U-shaped member is then mounted to the vehicle frame and to the first U-shaped member to complete the sealing assembly. One or both of the U-shaped members are generally formed of a relatively rigid material and/or are sometimes provided with a wire core or other appropriate stiffening means for providing the seal with substantial rigidity so as to effectively retain the window against movement. Often also, the sealing assembly further includes a metallic strip, which is a separate component from the U-shaped members and which is fastened to the vehicle frame and positioned on a surface of the seal so as to be viewable from the exterior of the vehicle to function both as a decorative trim and as a means for enhancing the rigidity of the seal.
A movable vehicle window sealing assembly as described above must be assembled to a vehicle frame in several steps; and, therefore, the mounting process is relatively time-consuming and costly. Also, because of the relative rigidity of the metallic strip decorative trim, it is difficult to properly conform the various components to the contour of the vehicle frame; and gaps often occur between the trim and the vehicle body which pose a source of leakage. Often, in fact, adhesive strips or the like must be inserted at various locations between the trim and the vehicle frame to fill in the gaps to provide a continuous seal between the seal and the vehicle frame.